Despite the decades of research and efforts to minimize lead exposure from food, water, air, and the workplace, lead continues to be a major health problem in this country and throughout the world. Federal regulatory and advisory agencies have continually lowered the levels at which adverse effects of lead are of concern based on observed adverse effects in humans. Although highly refined approaches have demonstrated adverse effects of lead in human populations and many effects of lead at the cellular and molecular level are documented, relatively little is known regarding the critical biological processes underlying the adverse effects of lead in humans and experimental animals. The first objective of this conference is to provide a forum for vertical integration of data from the molecular to the clinical level. This integration will assist in focusing ongoing and future mechanistic-based research efforts at all levels on the underlying neurobiology of clinical and subclinical manifestations of lead toxicity. In doing so, the conference will achieve its second objective, which is to identify, illuminate, and define the emerging and promising areas of basic and applied research which are likely to contribute to identifying the mechanistic b bases of the neurotoxicity of lead. This conference is the Ninth in a successful series of international conferences focusing on selected aspects of neurotoxicity. Forty-four internationally recognized authorities in various aspects of lead toxicity have been invited to attend the conference, give papers defining the state-of-the-art and future developments in lead toxicity, and submit a manuscript for the publication of the proceedings. To date, 28 of the speakers that we have contacted have all enthusiastically agreed to participate. These speakers were chosen for their expertise, knowledge, contributions to the field, and potential for new and continued contribution to understanding lead toxicity. In addition, new investigators and emerging areas of investigation will be provided a forum via state-of-the-art data presentations. A student award will be given for the best paper presented by a graduate student or resident to encourage and recognize student effort in this important area. Special emphasis at the conference has been devoted to providing ample discussion time at the end of each session, as well as for a panel discussion of important issues related to future research avenues. The collected papers of the conference will be published as a special issue of the international journal, NeuroToxicology.